1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a user support apparatus which observes a user or an environment around the user using a sensor group to support user's activities.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, sensors have been arranged everywhere in a decentralized form as a result of development of the information-oriented society and sensor techniques, and it has become possible to acquire a very large amount of support information. Moreover, a system has been established in which various items of support information are acquired from these sensors, and servers for realizing various types of services are accessed by wireless devices to support various user activities.
However, it is a problem to select the information because of overflow of information (volume increase). Moreover, a problem has occurred that it is difficult to exactly select the information based on a user's time, place, and occasion (TPO). That is, a system has become more important which selects the information in accordance with the user's tastes and which provides advice concerning intellectual stimuli and living habits. In other words, it is important to select the information in accordance with the user's activity or feeling, or the TPO based on environment situations (provide the information in consideration of the user's tastes, crowded shop state, place, and transportation means in accordance with the user's condition such as the user's hunger).
Moreover, another problem is that individuals are monitored and privacy is invaded by a decentralized sensor network. For example, a problem occurs that unspecified individuals' faces are recorded, unspecified individuals' activities are monitored, and unspecified individuals are followed by a monitor camera group arranged at street corners, and there has been a demand for a system which protects privacy.
In Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-56225, an agent apparatus has been proposed which estimates vehicle situations to communicate with a user. According to this agent apparatus, for example, an agent's processable action is proposed like “Shall I guide you to a restaurant?” in a case where the user's stomach rumble is detected at lunchtime. Moreover, as to the agent who appears in the vehicle, it is possible to select figure or voice in accordance with the user's tastes.
Furthermore, there is an example of a module which sets a goal as a target of a robot's action and which detects whether or not the goal has been achieved in a mobile robot or a human-type robot (see, e.g., A. Kosaka and A. C. Kak, “Fast vision-guided mobile robot navigation using model-based reasoning and prediction of uncertainties,” CVGIP—Image Understanding, Vol. 56, No. 3, November, pp. 271 to 329, 1992).